half_lifefandomcom-20200222-history
Depot
The Combine Depot is an enormous structure towering over the Nova Prospekt prison facility. It is primarily used to detain and process prisoners. Overview The Depot is a nexus for Combine distribution of Stalkers, as well as a storage center for political prisoners such as Eli Vance. The inclusion of the Depot on Nova Prospekt necessitated the partial or complete destruction of several blocks, such as block C3. The Depot covers cell blocks C1 through D8, and fills the area with Combine articles such as computers, forcefield gates, cells, etc. In addition, the Depot is a relay for the Razor Trains coming directly from City 17 and other locations. When citizens arrive at the Depot, they are held in sturdy metal straitjackets housed within metal pods, called Combine Cells. Once needed, the cells can be brought in at any point from within an access point. Just like the Citadel, the Depot has its own cell distribution center. Finally, the Depot houses the Combine entanglement device, which at the end of Chapter 9 explodes just as Gordon and Alyx teleport out of the facility. It is unknown if this is a prototype teleportation device, or a regular tunneling teleport used by the Combine. Just like the Citadel and the cut Air Exchange, the Depot was to be one of the many identical train depots spread along railways by the Combine. Behind the scenes *During his journey to the Air Exchange through the Wasteland, Freeman was to travel parallel to the Wasteland Train, a key theme of the game, tying all its environments together, transporting mysterious cargo from the city to outlying facilities. Along the tracks were numerous depots where the train would stop, refuel, unload, or take on cargo. One of these depots would later be expanded and merged with the AirEx to give way to the Nova Prospekt chapters, where the signal to begin the Uprising would be given. *The WC mappack gives deep insight on the evolution of the Depot area. :*The map "wasteland_depot.vmf", last edited August 2001, is apparently one of the depots to be seen during the journey and a predecessor for the main Depot (as several parts were recycled later). It consists of a small trainstation set on the desert ground, with small hangars, a control room and a platform around a single track linking City 17 to the AirEx, and it is guarded by Overwatch Soldiers and Stalkers, as well as Cremator on the train platform. Gordon was to reach the area on foot and see soldiers battling Antlions on the sand before the depot. Then he was to get inside the facility through a small Antlion-filled tunnel (as the main gate is closed), to finally reach the platform and embark the train after his journey apparently on foot.WC mappack :*One of the most notable early main Depot maps are "wasteland_depot_outside.vmf" (last edited November 2001) and "wasteland_depot_outside.vmf" (last edited January 2002). This larger facility is set on a cliff above the desert, with a large indoor (and brush) depot, a small prison next to it, a lighthouse overlooking the beach, and the train tracks mounted high above the ground. There Gordon was to get inside the lighthouse, defeat a Gunship from the top of it (recycled for Lighthouse Point), then get inside the facility through the lighthouse basement, after which he would be in the prison courtyard, and get in the Depot itself through a garage door. This map was later modernized to give way to the map "d2_depot_01", featuring a larger prison, then "e3_depot.vmf", without the prison but with a battle between Overwatch Soldiers and an Antlion Guard at the start of the map, several Thumpers set along the sand, and the wreck of a submarine.WC mappack :*What directly follows "wasteland_depot_outside.vmf" is the map "wasteland_depot_inside.vmf", set inside the Depot and starting right after the garage door. Inside are trains stored above one another, and distributed with elevators inside the Depot or on the tracks, from which they can leave. There Gordon was to fight his way through the facility, avoid several Overwatch Soldiers, Stalkers and an Overwatch Sniper in a large hangar located below, then finally board a train in the hangar, have it lifted with an elevator inside the Depot above, then leave in it to the Air Exchange,WC mappack to finally meet with Alyx in another depot located right before the AirEx. Of course, it does not include any Combine teleport, not part of the story at that point. :*More recent maps of the Depot area tend to feature the Depot as a model, and greatly expand the prison, which is now closer to the retail Nova Prospekt and where Antlions aid Freeman. One notable feature though set between the prison and the Depot that was eventually removed is the Gunship Bays (featured in maps such as "proto_gunshipbay.vmf", last edited November 2002, or "d2_prison_06", a more recent version featured in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta). In that area guarded by Overwatch Soldiers and set right at the foot of the Depot, Gunships were to be seen being built, and Antlions were to invade the area. A fire was to start, triggered by a chain reaction of explosions of the Gunship fuel lines and tanks installed there, hit during the combat, and engulfing the whole place in flames. Then Gordon was to leave the place by going into the Depot itself through a cargo conveyor.WC mappackPlayable ''Half-Life 2'' Beta *The Depot brush was converted into a model late in the game's development. Several WC mappacks of the Citadel base also use this model, as several Depots were originally to be located at the foot of the Citadel.WC mappack Gallery Concept art File:Gunship bays concept.jpg|Concept art for the Gunship Bays. File:Depot preliminary overview.jpg|Preliminary overview of the Nova Prospekt/Depot area. File:Depot showers guard.jpg|Schematics of the showers journey and the Antlion Guard battle. File:Depot yard plan.jpg|Schematics of the assault in the external compound. File:Depot lavatory plan.jpg|Schematics of Antlion assault in the lavatory. File:Depot cellblock 3.jpg|Schematics of the Cell Block 3 battles. File:Depot cellblock 2.jpg|Schematics of the Cell Block 2 journey. File:Depot cellblock 1.jpg|Schematics of the Cell Block 1 battle. File:Depot cafeteria.jpg|Schematics of the cafeteria journey. File:Depot2.jpg|The Depot. File:Depot from tracks.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot train coming.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot down2.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot levels train.jpg|Lifted trains in the Depot (based on "wasteland_depot_inside"). File:Depot levels train red.jpg|Ditto, with red-colored. File:Depot lifted train.jpg|Razor Train locomotive being lifted in the Depot (based on "wasteland_depot_inside"). File:Depot tech.jpg|Razor Train locomotive handler inside the Depot. File:Depot razor train.jpg|The early brush Razor Train at the Depot (based on "wasteland_depot"). File:Depot cell.jpg|Combine cells in the Depot. File:Depot cellblock2.jpg|Cellblock, actually based on an early Citadel map, "proto_citadel_cellblock". File:Depot cellblock3.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot cellblock1.jpg|Ditto. The teleport File:Teleportstudy1.jpg File:Teleportstudy2.jpg File:Teleportstudy3.jpg File:Teleportstudy4.jpg File:Teleportstudy5.jpg File:Teleportstudy6.jpg Screenshots Pre-release File:Depot razor train map.jpg|The early Razor Train in "wasteland_depot". File:Proto wasteland 010029.jpg|Early brush Thumpers near the brush Depot. File:Depot 1 overview1.jpg|The early brush Depot in the map "depot_1". File:Depot inside upper.jpg|Inside the early brush Depot in the map "wasteland_depot_inside". File:Depot inside tech.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot inside train cars.jpg|Razor Train cars in the Depot. File:Depot inside train cars2.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot inside traincars fueltanks.jpg|Ditto, and four small fuel tanks. File:Depot inside hallway.jpg|The underground hallway. File:Depot inside locker room.jpg|The room with crates and lockers, also present in the map "wasteland_depot". File:Depot inside control room.jpg|The control room. Again, it can be found in "wasteland_depot". File:Depot inside fueltanks.jpg|The large fuel tanks in the lower levels of the Depot. File:Depot inside warehouse.jpg|The warehouse in the lowest level of the Depot. Here Razor Trains are being loaded and unloaded. File:Depot inside warehouse2.jpg|Ditto. File:Depot inside lower razortrain.jpg|The Razor Train in the warehouse. File:Proto teleport fixed.jpg|Brush prototype teleport used in most of the teleport concept art above, from the map "proto_teleport" in the WC mappack, last edited September 2001. File:Gunship bays.jpg|The very rough Gunship Bays at the foot of the Depot in the playable Half-Life 2 Beta. File:Bays5.jpg|The Depot featured in another Gunship Bays map "bays". File:Bays4.jpg|Ditto, closer. File:Antlions Depot.jpg|Early official screenshot of Antlions near the Depot. File:E3 Depot overall.jpg|The Depot in the map "e3_depot". File:Proto underground combine010000.jpg|The Depot seen above the chasm surrounding the City 17 Citadel in the map "proto_underground_combine01". Retail File:Depot model.jpg|Originally a brush, the Depot is a model in the retail version. File:Nova Prospekt first.jpg|The Depot as seen from the Nova Prospekt grounds. File:Depot corridor.jpg|Corridor under the rails with the shadow of a passing Razor Train. File:Depot pods train.jpg|Razor Train and Combine cells in the Depot. File:Razor train engine.jpg|Razor Train passing by. File:Interrogation room computer terminal.jpg|The computer terminal of the interrogation room in the Depot. Notice the cracked wall and floor as the transition of the old Nova Prospekt building into the Depot, as if it was forcefully attached or cut into the existing structure. File:Combine devices.jpg|Combine technology in the Depot. File:Combine teleport1.jpg|The Combine teleport in the lower levels of the Depot. File:Combine teleport2.jpg|Ditto. File:Combine teleport3.jpg|Ditto. List of appearances *''Half-Life 2'' *''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' References See also *Depot / Prison - Gulag es:Depósito fr:Dépôt ru:Депо Category:Combine technology Category:Combine locations Category:The Coast locations Category:Trainstations Category:Locations Category:Viktor Antonov designs Category:Eric Kirchmer designs Category:Rail transport